Arenig Fawr
Encyclopedia
Arenig Fawr is a mountain
located in Snowdonia
, North Wales
. The mountain, which is the largest in the area, lies close to Llyn Celyn
reservoir
alongside the A4212
between Trawsfynydd
and Bala
.
(Small High Ground), a smaller neighbouring mountain, lying to the north. It is surrounded by Moel Llyfnant
to the west, Rhobell Fawr
to the south and Mynydd Nodol to the east.
, a reservoir
which provides drinking water to Bala
and the surrounding villages.
The summit, which is also known as Moel yr Eglwys (Church of the bare hill), has a trig point
and a memorial to six American aircrew who died when their Flying Fortress bomber
crashed into Arenig Fawr in 1943. Some of the crash wreckage is still scattered across the hillside 300m from the memorial location.
From the summit, with good weather conditions, it is possible to see several notable Welsh mountain ranges: the Rhinogs in the west, Snowdon
to the northwest, Clwydian Hills in the northeast, east to the Berwyn
s, south east to the Aran
s, and southward to Cadair Idris
. It is one of the finest panoramas in Wales.
was a halt on the Bala Ffestiniog Line
. It closed to passenger services on 2 January 1960 and freight services on 27 January 1961. The remains of the buildings have been totally cleared away leaving no trace of station.
and Augustus John
during their two years of painting in the Arenig valley around 1910. In 2011 it was made the subject of a BBC
documentary titled The Mountain That Had to Be Painted.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
located in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. The mountain, which is the largest in the area, lies close to Llyn Celyn
Llyn Celyn
Llyn Celyn is a large reservoir constructed between 1960 and 1965 in the valley of the River Tryweryn in Gwynedd, North Wales. It measures roughly 2½ miles long by a mile wide, and has a maximum depth of...
reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
alongside the A4212
A4212 road
The A4212 is a 17 mile road between Bala and Trawsfynydd in North Wales, by way of a 401m summit at Llyn Tryweryn. There are many straight sections on this road and only one short 40mph speed limit at Frongoch...
between Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd is a village in Gwynedd, North Wales, adjacent to the A470 north of Dolgellau near Blaenau Ffestiniog....
and Bala
Bala, Gwynedd
Bala is a market town and community in Gwynedd, Wales, and formerly an urban district of the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies at the north end of Bala Lake , 17 miles north-east of Dolgellau, with a population of 1,980...
.
Location
Arenig Fawr is the highest member of the Arenig range with Arenig FachArenig Fach
Arenig Fach is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, north Wales. It is a peak in the Arenig range and lies to the north of its parent peak Arenig Fawr.It lies close to Llyn Celyn alongside the A4212 between Trawsfynydd and Bala...
(Small High Ground), a smaller neighbouring mountain, lying to the north. It is surrounded by Moel Llyfnant
Moel Llyfnant
Moel Llyfnant is a mountain in the southern portion of the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a peak in the Arenig mountain range. It lies to the west of Arenig Fawr. It has one notable top, the twin peaked Gallt y Daren, being at the end of its west ridge.The summit area has rocky...
to the west, Rhobell Fawr
Rhobell Fawr
Rhobell Fawr is an extinct volcano in the Arenig range within the Snowdonia National Park.Despite its modest height of 734 m , it is a mountain with views of higher peaks all around, including the north face of Cadair Idris and distant Snowdon.The paths are not well trodden, but there is...
to the south and Mynydd Nodol to the east.
Ascent
The easy-to-moderate climb to the summit takes about 2½ hours from Llyn Celyn. There are no readily identifiable footpaths but the route is marked by an old wire boundary fence. Beneath the mountain is Llyn Arenig FawrLlyn Arenig Fawr
Llyn Arenig Fawr is a lake and reservoir located near the summit of Arenig Fawr, a mountain in North Wales.The lake's primary purpose is to supply water to the nearby town of Bala and the numerous small villages in the surrounding area. From the lake it is an energetic uphill walk to the summit of...
, a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
which provides drinking water to Bala
Bala, Gwynedd
Bala is a market town and community in Gwynedd, Wales, and formerly an urban district of the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies at the north end of Bala Lake , 17 miles north-east of Dolgellau, with a population of 1,980...
and the surrounding villages.
The summit, which is also known as Moel yr Eglwys (Church of the bare hill), has a trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
and a memorial to six American aircrew who died when their Flying Fortress bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
crashed into Arenig Fawr in 1943. Some of the crash wreckage is still scattered across the hillside 300m from the memorial location.
From the summit, with good weather conditions, it is possible to see several notable Welsh mountain ranges: the Rhinogs in the west, Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
to the northwest, Clwydian Hills in the northeast, east to the Berwyn
Berwyn range
The Berwyn range is an isolated and sparsely populated area of moorland located in the north-east of Wales, roughly bounded by Llangollen in the north-east, Corwen in the north-west, Bala in the south-west, and Oswestry in the south-east.The Berwyn range also played its part in causing King Henry...
s, south east to the Aran
Aran Fawddwy
Aran Fawddwy is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom.The nearest urban centres to the mountain are Dinas Mawddwy to the south, Llanymawddwy to the southeast, Llanuwchllyn on the shores of Bala Lake to the north, and Rhydymain to the west. On the eastern slopes of Aran Fawddwy is...
s, and southward to Cadair Idris
Cadair Idris
Cadair Idris or Cader Idris is a mountain in Gwynedd, Wales that lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers and hikers, is composed largely of Ordovician igneous rocks, with classic glacial erosion features such as...
. It is one of the finest panoramas in Wales.
Railway station
Arenig railway stationArenig railway station
Arenig railway station was a railway station beneath Arenig Fawr on the Great Western Railway's Bala Ffestiniog Line in Wales. It closed to passenger services on 4 January 1960 and freight services on 27 January 1961.-History:...
was a halt on the Bala Ffestiniog Line
Bala Ffestiniog Line
The Bala and Ffestiniog Railway was a , standard gauge, railway backed by the Great Western Railway railway in North Wales which connected Bala with Blaenau Ffestiniog.- History :...
. It closed to passenger services on 2 January 1960 and freight services on 27 January 1961. The remains of the buildings have been totally cleared away leaving no trace of station.
Art
Arenig Fawr was the focus of attention for artists James Dickson InnesJames Dickson Innes
James Dickson Innes was a British painter, mainly of mountain landscapes but occasionally of figure subjects. He worked in both oils and water-colours.-Biography:...
and Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
during their two years of painting in the Arenig valley around 1910. In 2011 it was made the subject of a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary titled The Mountain That Had to Be Painted.